Electrosurgical loop electrode instrument for laparoscopic surgery

DETAILED DESCRIPTION There is, therefore, provided according to the present invention, an electrosurgical loop electrode instrument for excising cervical tissue in an efficient and hemostatic fashion with minimal thermal damage.
By selectively varying the region area enclosed by the loop, various sizes and depths of the loop are achievable; and thus the appropriate size of loop for resecting endometriosis from the surfaces of the ovaries or the parietal peritoneum or for removal of larger areas of endometriosis or for morcellation of myomas, ovaries or other masses may be selectively established.
The present invention is directed to an endoscopic electrosurgical electrode loop instrument for use in the peritoneal cavity for resecting endometriosis or for morcellation of myomas, ovaries or other masses.
In one embodiment, the instrument is comprised of a housing having a longitudinal axis and an axially extending cavity through the housing and a metal shaft member which is in part insulated and slideably carried by the housing to permit both angular and axial displacement of the shaft relative to the housing.
The shaft member at its distal end is in electrical communication with the first and second end segments of a continuous wire loop electrode which integrally interconnect to a bridge seqment forming a closed and continuous wire loop.
A pair of leaf springs are oppositely and fixedly mounted to the distal end of the shaft member and are biased in a normally open position such that when the leaf springs are withdrawn into the housing by the shaft member, the leaf springs will be in a closed position and internally biased to spring apart upon emergence from the housing.
The first and second end segments of the wire loop are securely held in bearing relationship with the leaf springs by first and second insulated sheaths such that the arcuate or bridge portion of the wire loop remains uninsulated.
This permits current to flow into the patient who is at ground potential through the exposed portion of the bridge segment of the loop